Sliding door hanger device



Sept 4, 19.51 l H. HEzLEP, JR 2,566,522

sLIDING DooR HANGER DEVICE Filed may 15. 195o Ill 5r i113 A Trb/@vers tages.

Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLID-ING DOOR HANGER DEVICE Herbert Hezlep, Jr., Pasadena, Calif.

Application May 15, 1950, Serial No. 161,989

6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to builders hardwood and particularly to hanger means for supporting doors of the so-called overhead sliding type. Specifically, the invention pertains to hanger devices for suspending such doors from an overhead track along which the doors move to open and close a doorway.

Various hanger means have been employed in the past for suspending doors from overhead tracks' extending across the top of doorway frames, such hanger means usually including hanger brackets secured to the upper edge of the -door and rollers carried by the brackets and rollable along the tracks to mount the doors for sliding movement across doorways. Such prior hanger devices are subject to several disadvan- In the rst place, many such devices have no means for adjusting the rollers vertically so that leveling of the door is extremely diicult. Other proposed hanger devices have adjusting means but these are not readily operated and are very complicated in construction. Another hanger device has an eye member which is carried by and adjustable vertically of a door, a hanger member carrying rollers which are rollable along an overhead track, and at least one gravity-actuated latch member, in the form of a hook pivoted on the hanger member, adapted to engage in the eye member when the door is raised toward the track so as to suspend the door from the track. Byadjusting the eye members, -the door can be readily leveled, the latch members of the hanger devices being manually released from engagement with the eye members to permit such adjustment. It has been determined that when the dooris subjected to unusually rough operation, that is, impelled to open and closed positions with unnecessaryforce, the latches are apt to be accidentally pivoted to inoperative position and thereby release the door. Moreover, since the hanger members are relative- 1y loosely connected to the door through their latches and the eye members, slight twisting of theV door on vertical axes is possible and this may allow shaking or rattling of the door. Furthermore, in thercloor hanger device last referred to a. plurality of rollers are employed, these rollers being angularly disposed with respect to the horizontal and vertical to adapt them to roll along the inclined faces vof the overhead track and, since the weight of the door is thus applied at an angle to the rollers and their spindles, undesirable wear may occur in the wheels and their mounting means.

It is a primary object of this invention to Giovi- 2 ate the deficiencies of priordoor hangers by providing a hanger device which is particularly adapted for use inconnection with a track having a horizontal surface along which' a single roller of the device is adapted to roll. A related object is to provide a hanger device in which the single roller is rotatable on a horizontal axis and thus is disposed with its plane in alignment with the plane of the door to which the device is applied so that downward force" of the door is applied evenly to the roller to-avoid rocking thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hanger device to Which the door may be readily attached and from which the door may be removed when the device isf in place on the overhead track, -the device having a vertical slot for receiving a keepermember carried bythe door at its upper endso that the door can be conveniently hung by simply moving it upwardly to dispose a cross-bar or theu keeper member'within the slot. A related'object is vto provide a device of the character referred tcwhich includes a locking member or latch pivoted onthe hanger member having the slot, said latch having a hook portion normally extending across the slot and adapted Ato hook through the keeper member to-suspend the door from the track, the latch being further provided with a cam edge adapted to be engaged by the keeper member to displace said hook portion during insertion of the keeper member into the slot.

Another important object of the invention is to providey a hanger device of the type indicated which includes locking means for locking, the latch in its operative position so yas to preclude accidental disconnectionl of the door from the device. Inl a preferred construction, the locking means comprises amounting plate secured to the upper edgeof the door-and :having an upstanding ear, and a binder screw passing through aligned holes in the ear and the hanger member and screwed into a threaded hole in the latch with the head of the screw abutting a side of the ear.l By this connection,` a single screw provides means for both lockinglthe latch in operative position and connecting the door to the hanger memberfso as to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

Another yobject is to yprovide a hanger device in which the keeper'member is screwed into the mounting plate so that the crossfbar of the member can be adjusted vertically.- to level the door, the hole in the mounting plate ear being elongated to permit locking of the components in their adjusted positions; by theA binder screw.-

door hanger device. as observed from one side thereof;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective view, vas observed from the opposite side of the device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the upper portion oi' a door frame, illustrating the manner in which a door is installed in the frame;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the door completely suspended from a track of the `door frame by means of the hanger devices;

' Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

' Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

` Referring to the drawings in detail, the present improved hanger devices I are adapted for use Vin suspending a door II from a metal track I2 which extends longitudinally within the header I3 of a door frame I4. As shown best in Fig. the track I2 preferably is substantially Z-shaped in cross section and has an upper ange I5 which is lsecured to a surface of the header I3, an inclined,

intermediate web I6 and a lower horizontal flange -f I1 having an upwardly bent lip I8. The flange I1,

lip I8 and web I6 define between them the chan- 'nel-shaped track I2 along which the roller 20 oi each hanger device III is adapted to roll, the

lip I8 being cut away at one end of the track to r`provide a re-etrant opening 2I through' which the rollers can be inserted into the track.

vEach hanger device III includes a iirst hanger l member or metal mounting plate 25 which is adapted to be secured against the upper end surface of the door II by means Voi screws 26. Adjacent one end oi' the plate 25 themetal is slit and bent upwardly to provide an ear 21, the ear being provided with a vertically extending, elongated opening 28 (Figs. 2 and 6). The plate 25 has a centrally disposed, screw-threaded hole 28 (Fig. 5) into which the lower threaded end V32 oi' a keeper member 33 is adiustably screwed. the end 32 extending through the hole and into a recess 34 in the door. The keeper member 33 has a rectangular aperture 35 which provides an upper cross-bar or keeper bar .36.

Each hanger device I6 also includes a second hanger member 46 which may be conveniently stamped from sheet metal and bent to the required form in a suitable die. The vmember has a lower vertically extending portion 4l, an intermediate horizontal portion 42 and an upper vertically extending portion 43, the latter portion 'thus being disposed in a vertical plane which is Aoil'set laterally with respect to the plane ot'A the lower portion 4I, the amount of oil'set being substantially equal to one-half the thickness ,ofthe roller 20. The roller is preferably'made from rubber or other resilient material and is rotatably f mounted on a pin or spindle 44 carried Vby the upper oset portion 43 ofthe hanger member 40. The lower portion y4I is provided with a vertical slot 45 adapted to receive the eye memy,The portion of the latch immediately above the slot 5I extends; laterally to a considerable distance from the pivot pin 46 to provide a Viingerpiece 53 by which the latch can be manually piv-V oted on the pin. It is to be noted that the latch 5U is so shaped that its center of gravity is disposedlaterally and downwardly of the pivot pin 46, that is, at the right-hand side of the pin, as viewed in Figs. r1, 3 and 4, so that the latch is pendulously mounted and normally assumes a vposition in which its hook 52 extends across the slot 45 of the hanger member 40 (Figs 1 and 3), due to the influence of gravity. The lower edge 'of the latch 5I! is curved downwardly and laterally from the tip of the hook 52 to provide a cam edge 55. At its lower right-hand portion, the latch 50 is provided with a screw-threaded hole-56 (Fig. 6).

As will be noted by reference to Fig. 1, when the hanger device is applied to use the keeper 'member is disposed in the slot 45 of the member 4I! and the hook 52 'of the latch extends through the opening 35, that is, beneath the cross-bar 36,

to retain the components in corrected relationship. The present invention further provides locking means for locking the latch inits operative position following assembly' ofthe' parts of the device. The locking'ineans consists of a binder screw 51 (Figs. 2 and 6) having a head adapted to abut a side of the'ear 21 and a thread'- ed shank which passes through the elongated opening 28 andthe aperture 41 and is screwed into the hole 56 of the latch.v 'By this means, tightening of the binder screw 51 draws the several parts 21, 4I and 5I! together so as to prevent relative movement therebetween and vthus effects a rigid, unitary structure. 'A lock washer 58 is Vpreferably disposed between lthe head of the a pair of the mounting plates 25 is securednto'th'e door by the screws 26, the plates overlying the recesses with their threaded holes 29 aligned therewith. The keeper members 33 are next connected to the plates 25 by screwing their threaded Shanks 32 into the holes 29. Preferably, the keep er members 33 are screwed downwardly into engagement'wth the upper surfaces of the mounting plates 25, after which they are uniscrewed or backed off one full turn. l

The upper assemblies of the pair of 'hanger devices I0, including the members 40, rollers' 20 and the latches 5I), are next positioned within the door frame I4.r and this is readily accomplished by simplyv yinserting the roller of each assembly through the re-entrant opening 2I and then slid ing each assembly laterally to dispose its roller upon the flange `I1 of the track I2 for rolling' movement therealong, as shown in Fig.'3. The door II is nextV placed in upright position within the-doorway with one of the vertical edges of the door disposed within the pocket or enclosure of the vdoor frame I4.

,One of the vhanger assemblies 20, lll, 50 is next rolled along thev track I2 to a position directly vthe latch 50 and pivots the latter on its pivot 4E t allow the cross-bar to move upwardly toa position above the hook 52, at which time the latch pivots back 'to initial operative position in which its hook under-lies the cross-bar. One side of the .door II is thus suspended from the track I2. The other side of the door is then connected to vthe other hanger assembly 2li, 40, 50 by simply raising this side to cause the keeper member at this side to enter the slot 45 thereof and to be retained therein by the gravity-actuated latch 50.

By the procedure outlined above, the door II is suspended from the track I2 and this is adapted to slide within the door frame with the rollers 2l) rolling along the track.

' 'I'he door II is now slid to closed position to check the levelness thereof and this is readily determined by observing whether the stile of the door is flush with the exposed bumper jamb of the door frame. In the event that the vertical edge or stile and the jamb are misaligned. the door II' is unhooked from the assembly 2D. 4Q, 5D at this edge and the keeper member 33 is adjusted upwardly or downwardly, as may be necessary to properly align the stile with the jamb, and following such adjustment the keeper member is again engaged with the latch hook 52. As will be apparent, pivotal movement of the latch 50 to free the keeper member 33 for lthe purpose of adjustment may be conveniently accomplished by pressing a finger against the iingerpiece 53 thereof.

After the proper alignment has been obtained, a binder screw 51, and lock washer 58, are applied to each hanger device Il) by inserting the shank of the screw through the elongated opening 28 and the aperture 41 and screwing it into the hole 56 of the latch 50. It is thus seen that by this means each latch 50 is retained in its operative position to prevent displacement of the keeper member 33 from the slot 45, even when the door is thrown roughly or slammed to its open or closed position. In addition, the binder screws 51 rigidly connect the components 25 and 40 so that loose tting, which might resultin rattling of the door during use, is effectively avoided.

With the door II thus installed, it is ready for use and may be readily moved across the doorway by a minimum of physical effort, due to the fact that the rollers travel freely along the track. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 5 that each roller 20 ts closely within the channel-shaped track I2 so that lateral and vertical movement of the roller is minimized. It will also be noted that the roller 20 of each device I0 is disposed in a plane which is in alignment with the plane of the door and at the transverse center thereof so that the door is perfectly balanced. By this provision, transverse tilting of the door, which would cause wear between the contacting surfaces of the door and the door frame, is entirely avoided. Moreover, since the various -componente of the hanger devices are rigidly locked together, looseness in the mounting and disconnection or release of the door is prevented. Furthermore, as will be apparent from the foregoing, the door can readily be installed and removed by a person not especially skilled in the art. To remove the door I I for any purpose, such as for painting the same, the usual door stops or molding strips of the door frame are removed, after which the hanger devices Ill are loosened by withdrawing the binder screws 51 and pivoting the hook-like latches to inoperative position to release the door. When removing the door, the setting of the keeper members 33 is not disturbed so that when the door is later re-installed, re-adjustment thereof is unnecessary.

While the-hanger device has been herein disclosed as embodied in a preferred embodiment by way of example, it will be apparent that various modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Consequently, I do not wish to be limited in this respect but desire to be afforded the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A hanger device for suspending -a slidable door from a horizontal overhead track, comprising: a first hanger member adapted to be secured to the upper end of the door, said iirst hanger member having an upstanding ear provided with an elongated opening; a keeper member adjustable vertically on said first hanger member and providing a transverse keeper bar; a second hanger member projecting upwardly from said rst hanger member and having a vertical slot for receiving said bar of said keeper member, said second hanger member having an aperture; a single roller rotatably mounted on said second hanger member at one side only thereof, said roller being disposed with its plane in alignment with the plane of the door at the transverse center thereof and adapted to roll along the track; a gravity actuated latch member pivoted on said second hanger member and provided with a hook portion adapted when said latch member is pivoted to an operative position, to underlie said keeper bar to retain said keeper member in said slot, said latch member having a screw-threaded hole; and a locking screw having a head abutting a side of said second hanger member and a threaded shank passing through said elongated opening and said aperture and screwed into said threaded hole to connect said first and second hanger members and to lock said latch member in its operative position.

2. A device as defined in claim l in which said latch member is weighted to cause it to normally assume said operative position in which its hook portion extends across said slot under the action of gravity, said latch member having a cam edge normally extending across said slot and adapted to be engaged by said keeper bar so that relative movement of said first and second hanger members toward each other effects pivotal movement of said latch member to its inoperative position so as to displace said hook portion from said slot to allow entrance of said keeper bar into said slot, said latch member being adapted to pivot by gravity to its operative position upon movement of said bar to a position above said hook portion.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said second hanger member has a vertically extending, laterally offset portion, said roller being rotatable on said offset portion.

4. A device as dened in claim l in which said transversely of the door; a second hanger meml ber projecting upwardly from -said rst hanger member ;,a roller rotatably mounted on said second hanger member at one side only thereof, said roller being disposed with its plane in alignmen-t with the plane of the door at the transverse center thereof and adapted to roll along the track; a latch member pivoted on said second hanger member, said latch member having a hook portion underlying said keeper bar rto detachably connect said rst and second hanger members, said hook portion having a cam edge engageable by said bar, by which said latch member can be pivoted to an inoperative position in response to relative movement of said iirstV and second hanger members toward each other, said latch member being gravity-actuated to vadapt it to pivot to an operative position wherein its hook portion normally underlies said bar when said bar is disposed above said hook portion; and locking meansl for releasably retaining said latch member in its operative position.

' 6. A hanger device for suspending a door from ahcrizontal, overhead track, comprising: a iirst hanger member adapted to be detachably connected to the-upper end of the door and provided with a horizontal keeper bar extending trans- 'ber being movably mounted on said second hanger member and engaging said keeper bar to detachablyconnect said first and second hanger members; and a locking screw extending through saidopening in said ear and an aperture in said second hanger member and screwed into said threaded holein said latch member when `said latch memberis engaged with said keeper bar so as to rigidly connect said iirst and second hanger members and said latch member.

HERBERT HEZLEP, JR.

REFERENCES YCITED The following references are of vrecord in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 529,555 Lane Nov. 20, 1894 2,482,355 Lloyd Sept. 27, 1949 y2,482,856 Lloyd Sept. 27, 1949 Martin Oct. 10 1950 

